PM Sobotka: referendum on Crimea’s status violates Ukrainian law

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the Czech Republic was unlikely
to recognize the outcome of a Crimean referendum on joining Russia, since
such a vote was in violation of Ukrainian law. Speaking on Czech public
television on Sunday, Mr. Sobotka said the Czech Republic recognized the
legitimacy of the new Ukrainian leadership and supported its efforts to
enter into negotiations with Russia on resolving the conflict. The Czech
government has come out strongly in support of a diplomatic solution to the
conflict, saying economic sanctions would hurt all parties involved.

PM: boosting energy security is long-term goal

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the Višegrad Group’s appeal to the
United States to boost natural gas exports to Europe was part of the Czech
government’s long-term goal to improve the country’s energy security
and lower its dependence on oil and gas supplies from Russia. The Czech
prime minister said during EU talks in Brussels that the development in
Ukraine had emphasized the need to improve energy security in Europe,
noting that the EU would be in a better position to respond to the Crimean
crisis were it not dependent on Russian oil and gas. The ambassadors of the
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary on Friday asked the US to
boost natural gas exports to Europe as a hedge against the possibility that
Russia could cut off its supply of gas to Ukraine.

Demonstrations in support of Ukraine held in four Czech cities

Demonstrations against the Russian intervention in Crimea were held in four
Czech cities over the weekend. The protests, held under the motto "For
Your and Our Freedom", were staged in Prague, Brno, Plzen and Karlovy
Vary, and were attended by Ukrainians and Russians living in the Czech
Republic as well as Czechs concerned about the recent developments in
Crimea. Among those who joined the protest in Prague was the former foreign
minister Karel Schwarzenberg who said he felt the need to show solidarity
with Ukraine in this this difficult time. He recalled that the Czechs
experienced twice what the Ukrainians are experiencing today, making a
reference to the German occupation in 1939 and the Soviet-led invasion in
1968.

Central bank governor: board debating when to end forex interventions

The governor of the central bank, Miroslav Singer, said the bank board was
debating when best to curtail the forex interventions launched last
November to weaken the crown in order to avoid deflation. Mr. Singer said
that the economic figures released in the first two months of this year
were proof that the decision had been the right one and that the move had
no stiffled economic growth. He said he expected a very mild strengthening
of the crown once the interventions were concluded and noted that the board
would not risk a premature decision to end the interventions and face the
same problem. The central bank’s decision has come under fire from many
politicians and analysts who said that weakening the crown was not a good
decision at a time when the country was coming out of a drawn-out crisis.

PM: unperturbed by new find in Babiš case

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he was unperturbed by claims that a
document in the archives of the Czech communist secret police contains
details of a meeting between members of the then secret police and Andrej
Babiš, who now holds the finance ministry portfolio. Details of the
document in which Mr. Babiš talks about bribery in the firm Petrimex, are
to be published in Monday’s edition of Euro magazine. Mr. Sobotka said
none of the information was new or surprising and that Mr. Babiš had
repeatedly explained that a foreign trade employee under the communist
regime he had been unable to avoid questioning by the secret service. He
has rejected the idea that he actively collaborated with the communist
secret service as an agent and is trying to clear his name in court in
neighbouring Slovakia where he appeared on a list of communist police
collaborators.

Rudolfinum concert in memory of Holocaust victims

A concert at Prague’s Rudolfinum on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary
of the biggest mass murder of Czechoslovak citizens during WWII. On the
night of March 8, close to 3,800 prisoners from Terezín – men, women and
children were transported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and
gassed. The commemorative concert included the works of Jewish composers
who were murdered at Auschwitz. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
performed them under conductor Libor Pešek and in cooperation with the
pianist Martin Kasík, violinist Pavel Šporcl, members of the Disman Radio
Children’s Choir, Czech Radio Children´s Choir and Prague Philharmonic
Choir.

President Zeman meets with Tony Blair

Czech President Miloš Zeman and the former British prime minister Tony
Blair had an informal meeting at Lany chateau outside Prague on Saturday
evening. According to the president’s spokesman they debated the European
Union and the situation in Ukraine. Mr. Blair also took part in an economic
forum in Prague on the future of Europe and its competitivness. The two
officials last met two years ago in London.